


by the way

by roseweasley394



Series: Moments Like These [24]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Baby Names, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Insecurity, Light Angst, Married Life, Pregnancy, Surprise Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:47:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25417171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roseweasley394/pseuds/roseweasley394
Summary: Picking out baby names might be a *bit* harder than it seems.“I’m not naming our daughter after a dead person.”
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Rose Weasley
Series: Moments Like These [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1780003
Kudos: 38





	by the way

* * *

“I’m not naming our daughter after a dead person.”

“Why not!” Scorpius cried. “I think it would be a nice tribute.”

Rose sighed from her place on their bed and allowed her eyes to slip close in exhaustion, letting the rain pounding against their window placate her. The sun had long ago made her descent; the only light in their room from that of the moon and the flickering street lights below their flat. They’d been pouring over books of baby names for hours and hadn’t been able to agree upon a single name, and seeing as she was nearing her ninth month of pregnancy, they were truly running out of time. This was the fifth version of this argument they’d had that week alone and it was taking absolutely everything in her not to let her hormones run rampant and smack her husband upside the head.

“Have you not noticed that my family is like a walking graveyard? Uncle Harry’s kids particularly. He really went a bit overboard there.”

“Well-”

“Who do we even know that’s dead? Your grandfather?” She continued stubbornly.

He pulled a face. “Fuck no. I just thought maybe your Grandma Granger or someone like that.”

“It’s creepy, Scorpius. I’m not doing it.”

“Fine, then what about someone we already know? Like your mum or aunt or something,” he tried weakly, knowing that he had already lost this battle.

“Scorpius,” she said seriously. “We absolutely cannot name a baby Hermione. That would just be ridiculous! And I hate to break it to you, but everyone we know is going to die one day too, hence the cemetery sentiment.”

“That’s rather morbid.”

She shrugged casually. “Yeah, well, when you grow up hearing war stories.”

“Okay then,” he prompted and she couldn’t help but notice that he looked rather frustrated. “What do you suggest?”

“You already know what I think,” she snapped, sitting up abruptly, crossing her arms over her chest.

“And you already know that I don’t want to carry on a stupid Malfoy tradition either!”

“And why the hell not? I think it’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, so beautiful that 90% of my family actively tried to kill yours,” he deadpanned

She rolled her eyes and ignored the twitching at her lips. “Their names didn’t have anything to do with that.”

“I don’t care,” he cried in exasperation. “I didn’t even want you to take my name in the first place, much less bring another Malfoy into the world and force them to go through all the same shit I did.”

His face was turned away from hers but she knew that he was biting his lip, trying desperately not to relive the years of relentless bullying he’d experienced at Hogwarts and beyond.

“It’s not going to be like that,” she said gently, moving close enough to lift his arm and wrap it around herself. “It’s been so long since then, Scor. So much has changed! And you’ve already done so much to prove everyone wrong, to prove that the Malfoy name is capable of change. I mean, that’s why I took your name, yeah? To show everyone that things are better now.”

He didn’t say anything but she felt him press a kiss into her hair and tighten his grip on her.

“Besides,” she began with a grin. “This baby is going to have more cousins than she knows what to do with. She’s going to be well protected, I can promise you that. And if she’s anything like either of us, I know that she won’t take shit sitting down.”

She felt a laugh rumble in his chest and he suddenly sat up, pulling her around to look at him.

“So you don’t think any of this is selfish? Having a baby I mean.”

The desperation in his eyes caused her heart to ache and she found herself unable to stop from remembering how horrible people had acted towards him at school, all because of his last name.

“No, of course not,” she said fiercely. “But if it was, it might be a little too late to do anything about it.”

“Yeah,” he laughed, running a hand over her swollen belly almost subconsciously. “You might have a point with that one.”

She squeezed his hand reassuringly. “I think that raising a child to see the right side of history is probably one of the most unselfish things you can do.”

He nodded reluctantly and she could practically see his mind fighting against itself. “You don’t regret taking my name, do you? Things would be easier if you and this baby were Weasleys I’m sure.”

“Never,” she said solemnly. “And I don’t foresee myself regretting it in the future either. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you this, but I love you, Scorpius. I am proud of being with you. I could care less about what petty gossip surrounds us. I know who you are and I know the kind of father you’re going to be. Besides, the world had enough Weasleys. It’s time we made our own name for ourselves.”

He didn’t say anything, couldn’t really because his throat felt quite clogged and his stupid eyes were beginning to burn uncomfortably. Instead, he gently pulled her towards him and held her firmly. This late in her pregnancy, she hadn’t wanted to be touched much. She was just too irritable. But she knew how he was feeling, knew that he wanted to express how much he loved her but couldn’t, and so she let him hold her.

They sat in companionable silence in the dark of their room for several long moments, her leaning comfortably into his chest, him running absent-minded patterns across her back. It wasn’t until his eyes had begun slipping closed that she jerked away from him excitedly with a tiny gasp. Squinting to look at her through the darkness of their room, he reached for his wand and muttered a quick ‘Lumos’.

“I can’t believe I forgot to show you,” she exclaimed. “I mean, it was only the point of this entire conversation.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, eyes slipping closed again.

“You can’t go to sleep!” She cried eagerly, jostling his leg from where she sat at the end of the bed, flipping through books hurriedly.

“Alright,” he groaned, pushing himself to a seated position, watching his wife with weary eyes.

“I know what you’re going to say, but earlier I glanced at a name that I think you might love.”

He grinned at her obvious excitement and nudged her with his foot. “Out with it.”

She took a deep breath and thrust a book of constellations into his hands. “Ara.”

After waiting a moment for him to respond, Rose became quite anxious, fearing that he might shut her down. She absolutely would not allow that to happen. Not after finding a name that just seemed so perfect.

“I know it’s a constellation and that we literally just had this conversation, but Scorpius, it’s beautiful and is coincidentally right beneath you, your constellation I mean,” she rambled nervously.

When he still hadn’t spoken, she continued. “You can pick whatever middle name you’d like. I don’t even care if it’s a person. But just think, Ara Malfoy. It kind of has a ring to it, yeah?”

His eyes were jumping across the page wildly and she eventually, and rather ungracefully, scooted her very pregnant self across the bed to where he was still leaning against the headboard. Gently, she removed the book from his hands and tossed it to the floor.

“If you hate it, just tell me,” she demanded.

When he looked up, she was surprised to find his grey eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I think it’s perfect.”

Her face broke out into a wide smile. “You do?”

He nodded and ran a hand over his face quickly. “I love it.”

“Well, then why are you crying, silly?” She teased lightly.

“I think that it’s all just hitting me, that this is all happening. Giving her a name just makes it all seem real so suddenly,” he admitted, his face practically frozen in awe as he looked at her in wonder.

She giggled under his gaze and moved to gently cup his cheek in her palm. “It does feel a bit surreal.”

He nodded again and swallowed roughly. “It does. I’m just excited is all.”

Rose smiled, reaching up to kiss him softly. He smiled against her lips, breaking away far too soon for her liking.

“Don’t get too carried away. I need you to rest if we’re gonna have this baby soon.”

She groaned and pouted playfully, but kissed him once more as he whispered that he loved her.

Gingerly, they reclaimed their spots under the covers on either side of the bed. In her third trimester, Rose had become vehemently anti-cuddling, claiming that she could hardly bear to be touched. Seeing as she was carrying his child and all, he didn’t mind too much. As he rolled to face her, secured snuggly under their duvet, he could hardly wipe the smile off his face as he thought of his luck. He had the most wonderful wife and would soon have the most wonderful little baby. Right as he was on the brink of dozing off, Rose gasped loudly and he opened his eyes to see her sitting up, face even paler than usual.

“Are you alright,” he asked quickly, automatically reaching for his wand.

She nodded slightly and placed her hand over his, squeezing it reassuringly. “I’m fine.”

He smiled at her sleepily as he leaned to press a kiss to her cheek, but something stopped him. Something that was rather … wet.

“By the way,” she began, not before sucking in another tight breath. “My water just broke.”

Scorpius’s eyes widened in shock, a hundred thoughts hurtling through his mind at once as he quickly realized that their night had hardly begun.

Seven hours later, at the ungodly hour of 6:00 in the morning, Ara Rose Malfoy was born. As Scorpius held his daughter in his arms for the first time, he peered into her lovely face and saw the rest of his life. All was well.


End file.
